100 General Observations on [Feb. 



The Buddhists recorded every notable event on stone or on metal, 

 particularly such as had reference to religion and its royal supporters, 

 a feature which distinguished them from the brahmans for many cen- 

 turies, — and has it yet been shewn that there are Hindu or Brahmani- 

 cal temples older than the sthupas or chaityas ? 



Can it be proved what existing language of India, written and spoken, 

 cognate to the Sanscrit, has been directly derived from it, without re- 

 ference to the Pali? 



Ancient Indians. 



There would be no difficulty in assigning an origin to the race or 

 races which peopled India previous to the arrival of the brahmans, 

 could we implicitly rely on the conclusions or suppositions of Sir W. 

 Jones, that it was the same with the original inhabitants of Persia. His 

 proofs and reasoning would seem to lead us in many instances to the 

 desired haven of truth, but the former are imperfect, as he himself ad- 

 mitted, and I suspect not strong enough to create a thorough conviction 

 of their cogency. 



However, as I have already hinted, there is no cause why we should 

 not suppose with every degree of probability, that the brahmans were 

 not the first civilized people who came as emigrants from the west ; and 

 if Persia did not receive her civilization from India, as Sir W. Jones 

 hints they did, the Indians may have obtained at various, and perhaps 

 distantly, separated periods, their civil organization, especially that of 

 caste, and their religion or religions from Persia. We have not cer- 

 tainly any thing very positive to shew that man-worship came from 

 that country, but there were many, and apparently well beaten tracks, 

 leading from the various nations of central and northern Asia to Hin- 

 dusthan, by which that peculiar worship may have been imported. 



Besides, if we refer to the above author's writings,* we shall find 

 that Mahabad, who was the first (at least reputed) king of Iran, and of 

 the whole earth, received a sacred book in a heavenly language from the 

 Creator, and " that Fourteen Mahabads had appeared or would ap- 

 pear in human shapes for the government of this world/' "These are 

 the 14 Menus," &c. 



The manner in which these Mahabads are recorded, indicates them 

 to have been rather spiritual superiors than mere kings, metempsycho- 

 * As. Res. Vol. V. 



